NOTICE OF INTENTION TO ISSUE HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS COMBINATION TAX AND REVENUE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on January 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at a regular meeting of the Commissioners Court of Hays County, Texas (the “Commissioners Court”), to be held at its regular meeting place in the Hays County Courthouse, Room 301, 111 E. San Antonio Street, San Marcos, Texas, the Commissioners Court intends to pass one or more orders authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $100,000,000 total principal amount of certificates of obligation, in one or more series (collectively, the “Certificates”), bearing interest at any rate or rates not to exceed the maximum interest rate authorized by law, as shall be determined within the discretion of the Commissioners Court at the time of issuance of the Certificates, and maturing over a period of not to exceed thirty (30)years from their date of issuance, for the purpose of paying contractual obligations to be incurred for all or any portion of the costs associated with (i) constructing, equipping, improving, extending,expanding, upgrading and/or developing a County administration building to be known as the East side Campus, including any necessary acquisition of land or interest in land in connection therewith,related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; (ii) acquiring, constructing,equipping, improving, renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing animal shelter facilities, including any necessary land acquisition, related drainage and utility costs and other costs related thereto; (iii) remodeling, constructing, equipping, improving, renovating, extending,expanding, upgrading the existing Hays County Government Center; (iv) acquiring, constructing,equipping, improving, renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing a Precinct 4office building, including any necessary land acquisition in connection therewith, related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; (v) acquiring, constructing, equipping, improving,renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing a Precinct 5 office building, including any necessary land acquisition in connection therewith, related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; and (vi) professional services of attorneys, financial advisors, engineers and other professionals in connection with the foregoing purposes and the issuance of the Certificates.Said Certificates shall be payable from the levy of a direct and continuing ad valorem tax, levied within the limits prescribed by law, against all taxable property within the County sufficient to pay the interest on said Certificates as due and to provide for the payment of the principal thereof as the same matures, as authorized by Sub chapter C, Chapter 271, Texas Local Government Code, as amended, and from certain of the net revenues of the County's Solid Waste Management System. The estimated combined principal and interest required to pay the Certificates on time and in full is $184,959,875.00. Such estimate is provided for illustrative purposes only and is based on an assumed interest rate of 5.25%. Market conditions affecting interest rates vary based on numerous factors beyond the control of the County, and the County cannot provide any assurance regarding the rate of interest that the Certificates will bear upon their issuance. As of the date of this notice, the aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt obligations of the County secured by and payable from ad valorem taxes is $635,108,993.00. Based on the County's expectations, as of the date of this notice, the combined principal and interest required to pay all of the outstanding debt obligations of the County secured by and payable from ad valorem taxes on time and in full is $923,048,745.64.  COMMISSIONERS COURT HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS November 18, 2025

For the original document, click here Hays County Health Department 101 Thermon Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666 Public Health Advisory Board Meeting Notice Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 6:30 PM Kyle Precinct 2 Building Multipurpose Conference Room 5458 FM2770, Kyle, TX 78640 This Notice has been posted with Hays County, Office of the County Clerk, according to the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. Area Reserved for the Hays County Clerk’s Office

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced that 29-year-old Izaiah Vela, formerly of Martindale, was sentenced to 75 years in prison by a jury on Jan. 21, 2026. On Jan. 15, 2025, a Hays County jury found Vela guilty of one count of sexual assault of a child. The evidence showed that the defendant met his minor victim over Instagram, admitted he knew she was underage, and convinced her to meet him with the promise of free marijuana. Once they met and he provided her with the marijuana, he then “did what he wanted” to the victim. The evidence showed that he repeatedly displayed a firearm during the course of the assault, including holding it against the victim’s back. Afterward, he admitted the offense over Instagram messages with the victim, and he attempted to set up another meeting with her for the same purpose. He later deleted the entire message conversation and performed a factory reset on his phone before he was arrested. After the jury returned a guilty verdict, the case proceeded to the punishment phase before the same jury. Evidence was introduced that Vela was a career criminal, having been convicted of three counts of burglary of a motor vehicle and having been sent to prison twice, once for evading arrest with a motor vehicle and once for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Evidence also showed that he was dealing marijuana around the time of the sexual assault case. The evidence in the punishment phase showed that a couple of months after the primary offense, the defendant repeatedly sold fentanyl pills to numerous individuals, most of them high school students in Hays County, including to a 15-year-old high school sophomore. After buying seven fentanyl pills from the defendant at a discounted price, that young person died on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, from fentanyl toxicity, only to be found by her mother the next morning when she went to wake her daughter up for school. Vela was tied to her death and the other drug sales by his Instagram messages, his CashApp transactions and by FLOCK camera images. Once he was aware of her overdose, the defendant deleted his messages with her, as well as his entire Instagram account that he used to sell fentanyl. The defendant was subsequently arrested when he went to report to his parole officer in November of 2023, as he was on parole for his firearm conviction at the time. After hearing all this testimony, the jury sentenced the defendant to 75 years in prison with no fine. Judge Steel of the 274 th District Court presided over the trial and accepted the jury’s verdicts. Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Daniel Sakaida and Cassidy Story prosecuted the case. The ADAs were assisted in this case by Victim Assistance Coordinator Sandra Groters, Legal Assistants Avery Slocum and Cristina Kearbey and District Attorney’s Office Sgt. Investigators Robert Torres and Matthew Grantham. This case in chief was investigated by the San Marcos Police Department’s Detective Caitlyn Bennett, Detective Crystal Benavides, Officer Franco Stewart, Detective Kevin Blackwood and Crime Analyst Patrica Hom. The fentanyl case was investigated by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Christopher Adams, Deputy Andres Vega, Deputy Adam Krueger, Detective Nelson Wray, Detective Chase Fuller, Deputy Paul Mooney, Deputy Ian Alcorn, Deputy Joshua Larson, Deputy Brian Burgdorf, Custodian Kristi White and Evidence Technician Johnna Martone. “The defendant preyed on vulnerable minors in Hays County in the worst ways possible,” Sakaida said. “He saw minors as easy, manipulable clients for his drug sales and as targets for his sexual desires. The jury recognized the damage he inflicted on our community, and they made the right decision to put him away effectively for the rest of his life. Nothing can truly fix the pain left in the defendant’s wake, but this verdict is justice for his victims.” # # #

SAN MARCOS, Texas — On Jan. 6, 2026, the Hays County Commissioners Court took final action to approve a Jail-Based Competency Restoration (JBCR) Program aimed at addressing the growing mental health crisis in the criminal justice system while reducing lengthy jail stays for individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial. The Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve the program. “We have worked on this initiative for a long time, and our partnership with Hill Country, our mental health authority, has been exceptional," agenda item sponsor and Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe said. "This is a curriculum-driven, evaluative, and therapeutic restoration program that will provide meaningful services and support to individuals in need." Under Texas law, individuals must be competent to proceed in court, meaning they can understand the charges against them, assist their defense attorney, and meaningfully participate in their legal strategy. Currently, individuals who are found incompetent often face long delays awaiting placement in a state hospital for treatment. In the Hays County Jail, delays can stretch to nearly 300 days. “This is a major issue not just in Hays County, but across our state and country,” said Landon Campbell, Division Chief, Assistant Criminal District Attorney. “Right now, people are sitting in our jail, not moving forward with their cases, not able to defend themselves, and simply waiting for treatment.” The newly approved program enables Hays County to collaborate with its local mental health authority to offer competency restoration services directly within the Hays County Jail, thereby eliminating the need to wait for placement in the state hospital system. “Jail-Based Competency Restoration short-circuits a system that is not meeting the needs of our community,” Campbell said. “Instead of waiting nearly a year for treatment, we can provide those services right here, right now.” The program is designed not to push individuals more quickly through the justice system, but to connect them with appropriate care and expand access to diversion and treatment-focused court options. The Commissioners Court also emphasized the program's fiscal responsibility. Housing an individual in jail for approximately 300 days can cost taxpayers an estimated $45,000, often without any progress toward treatment or case resolution. “We’re spending significant taxpayer dollars while getting nothing in return,” Judge Ruben Becerra said. “Anything we can do to shorten that timeline is absolutely worth pursuing.” The program will be funded through a state grant awarded to Hill Country Mental Health, which will embed forensic mental health professionals within the Hays County Jail to provide curriculum-driven, therapeutic and evaluative competency restoration services. The county’s primary financial responsibility will be related to medications, which will be provided through existing jail healthcare contracts. Michelle Zaumeyer, Director of Forensic Services for Hill Country MHDD Centers, said similar programs have shown strong results. “In our neighboring county, we’re seeing a 75% success rate in restoring competency within 60 days or less, sometimes even within 30 days,” Zaumeyer said. “This partnership has the potential to make a real difference for the 24 individuals currently waiting for services in Hays County.” Officials expressed appreciation for the collaboration among the Commissioners Court, Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Hill Country Mental Health, and jail medical provider Wellpath LLC. "I am pleased that we have reached a point where there is a shared understanding of the significant benefits this program will deliver,” Ingalsbe said. The Jail-Based Competency Restoration Program is expected to begin implementation in the coming months, with county officials committed to providing updates as it moves forward. ###